A Class I Will Actually Miss

Last night was the last class meeting for Criminal Trial Practice. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and learned so much in it. It will be the first (and I think probably only) class in law school that I will miss attending. It is the unusual thing to look forward to a class and doing the reading for it.

It's not just the subject matter of the class. The professor made the class. It's hard to describe exactly. He is brilliant and confident, yet not an ounce of arrogance. Very encouraging and helpful too. In his critiques, he looked for something positive to say about everyone, yet still gave us the truth about what we needed to work on.

All of this, and then last night, before he let us go, he told us "his story". He was not supposed to work during his first year of law school, but did secretly because he had to. He ended up not doing so well and was on academic probation. After graduation, he got a job at a law firm and took the bar here in CA that first July. He didn't pass. He took it in February, and he didn't pass. He took it again the next July, and didn't pass. He didn't pass it until his fourth try! He told us this to encourage us to not be stopped by our failures, because we will have them. He also said that the things you have to work hardest for are the ones you appreciate most. He told us to call or email him anytime if we want to talk about law school, the bar, or whatever.

It was hard to believe this man who comes across as so smooth and so together could have ever possibly had a struggle, but he just made himself and his past completely transparent in order to help and encourage us. You don't often run across people like this, and it just really strikes you when you do. Since the traits I value most highly in others are sincerity and realness, you must know how highly I think of this professor. I'm really going to miss him and this class.